Bucilla Alphabet Quilt Ready to Personalize

Here is the finished photo of the Bucilla Alphabet quilt from the late 60's kit.  When digging through my UFO's, this finished quilt was still safely stored away...  Unphotographed and forgotten.  The stitching was created with the original floss that came with the quilt.  I feel a great sense of accomplishment, when looking back over this quilt.   Oddly enough right after my discovery, my daughter in law reminded me the quilt's little recipient was waiting to get it!  Yep... Our first grandchild.  :)

 

I am going to sit today and stitch his name on the corner square and mine in the other.  Just like my sister's quilt my Mom made for her... Would it be impolite of me to say how many years ago.  lol  It would probably make her quilt an antique!  I can make that joke, since I am 5 years older.  :)    

 

 

It is amazing the items found when you do a thorough reorganization of a house and studio.  Kinda funny really.  Disorganization stifles my artistic pursuits of every kind.  The last few years of my life have seen me just getting by with quick pick ups.  Now my house is in place and so are my thoughts.  On to the next project!  

Flea Marketing Blogger Style

As you all know, I love going to the flea market.  Most finds have been, in the process of, or going to be used in repurposing projects.  After looking down my list of projects-to-do, some materials are getting set to the side and will be listed later today on my Pumpkin Hollow Flea Market blog here.   The main listings right now will be my vintage grain sacks, flour, and seed sacks.  There will be some wooly items as well. Here is a little peek before you hop on over...

I have some large, medium, and small bags collected over the years.  Just looking to pass along a deal and make some space!

Also, my selection of wool blankets.  The rougher ones make good lining for stitching projects, and some use them for rug hooking.  I have several new army blankets, if someone wants to use it instead of batting in a quilt.  Makes them nice and snuggly warm!

I will be doing a lot of posting this week over on my selling blog of various items... stamped cross stitch kits, old harness bells, quilting notions, spinning equipment, and art supplies.  Hopefully, most will be up by the end of this week.  I just have to find a way to organize prior to listing more!  The listings will be up for awhile.  This is the first stop before firing up the Etsy and Ebay stores again.  I know a lot of my internet friends prefer to purchase direct, since the prices have to go up to cover the costs of listing on selling sites.  So hopefully, they are up long enough for everyone to have a chance to get a deal.  :)

Mask Making for the Covid 19 Pandemic

The last few days have seen me researching, sewing, and perfecting masks for friends and family who chose to wear them through this Covid 19 pandemic.  My venture into mask making started over the concern if someone in the household should come down with the virus.  The mask is a great tool for containment.  I happened along some great videos and information from The Fabric Patch Quilt Shop here.  Cindi Rang, who owns the Fabric Patch, put a lot of thought into her masks and made some great "how to" videos.  Why not put some quilt fabric to good use?  I don't have loads of suitable fabric patterns, but I cannot think of a better cause for what I do have.  Here is the beginnings of my final prototype.

I have followed the pattern linked by Cindi but decided to also create a pocket to hold a piece of floral wire doubled on itself.  It works spectacularly to conform the mask around the nose as it contours into the cheek bone.  Also, some of the masks will have a polypropylene liner and others will not.  As you can see, my more premium fabric is mainly themed base.  If you have to wear a mask, I guess you might as well stand out!  lol 

Luckily, my stash included 1/4 inch elastic in white but not a huge amount.  My boss/coworker/friend from work was shopping at the Dollar General and picked me up some hair bands to repurpose.  They should work great for a couple of different installations.  Team work makes the dream work!   If need be, my pack rat ways will pay off in a load of ideas for attaching ties. ;)   It is my week to be at home in our work/pandemic rotation, so I will kick off my morning with some brought to my house  homework and will switch gears to construct some masks in the afternoon.

Nothing can replace following the rules of social distancing:  respecting the 6 foot rule, washing hands, coughing in one's elbow, and not touching one's face.  Plus when leaving a work station at any type of business, sanitize before the next person sets up to work. :)  But a mask to aid in reducing the spread of this devastating virus is not a bad idea, since many carry without realizing it.  If a person must go out and feel the need to wear a mask, I really think these masks are comfortable.  It is a nice gesture to help contain this virus from those around us and especially those essential workers who are physically putting there lives on the line in the businesses that are currently open for our needs. 

Never had I ever thought mask making would be added to my repertoire, but let's leave the PPE's to those who really need it.  We can all pitch in when needed.   TOGETHER, we will get through this! 
     

Putting Some Pizzaz in the New Year

I'll admit it... The Pizzaz isn't just for pizzas.  The Pizzaz is perfect for reviving those restaurant left overs a microwave leaves soft and soggy or dried to petrification.  But can you believe, the pizza cooker bakes a darn good cookie?   No lies here... Below are the photos of the proof!  Just mix up some chocolate chip cookie dough and give the Pizzaz a whirl.  :)

 

Once your dough is ready, use a cookie scooper (or your favorite utensil) for uniform portions, slightly flatten the dough, and space the raw cookies around the plate of the Pizzaz.  In a case of do what I say and not what I do or did, the Pizzaz company instructions suggest NOT using the direct center of the tray.  All set?  Let's get baking...



 

 

 

Turn the Pizzaz timer on for 10 minutes starting on the upper setting.  Once you have 4 minutes remaining, switch the controls to the dual setting.   

Yep!  Ten minutes total, without the lengthy oven preheat, gives our family a quick home made treat.  Perfect for a small batch of cookies following a long day at work or after school.

Even better, the dough can be made at your leisure, scooped out in portion sizes onto a cookie sheet, flash frozen in the freezer, and stored in a freezer bag or in a container until needed.  For best results, take the amount to be baked out of the freezer and let sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to the bake. 

There is nothing better than a making a kitchen appliance multi task!  And... the cookie experiment was just the beginning... ;)